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Neon Trees' Tyler Glenn comes out as gay in 'Rolling Stone'

Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees comes out as gay in the new issue of Rolling Stone.

“I’ve always felt like I’m an open book, and yet obviously I haven’t been completely,” he tells the magazine.

Glenn, who was raised Mormon and remains so, says he’s known he was gay since childhood, but only recently decided to go public.

“I had my crushes on guys throughout high school, but it was never an overwhelming thing until my twenties,” he confesses. “Then I’d be dating girls and in love with my straight friend and it was the worst feeling in the world.”

Glenn says the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “always taught, and I hate this word, ‘tolerance.’”

“The only time that felt different was when the Prop 8thing came up,” he admits, referring to the millions spent by Mormon leaders to fight same-sex marriage.

The rocker, best known for hit songs like “Animal” and “Everybody Talks,” began telling friends and family about his sexuality last fall, with the band’s upcoming album specifically addressing his closeted years.

Glenn tells Rolling Stone, “I really love all of the sports figures that are coming out recently. I appreciated Michael Sam was like, ‘I want to be able to go to the movies and hold hands with my boyfriend.’”

“Even hearing him say ‘boyfriend,’ I was just like, that’s cool,” he adds.